The United States was born 240 years ago with a shield that proclaimed, “Peace, Independence, Liberty.” It marked an inflection point in the human narrative. For thousands of years, mankind had exalted warriors and nations who turned children into orphans, wives into widows, and had fathers bury sons rather than sons bury fathers in chronic wars for the sake of power, riches and the adolescent thrill of domination. Our forefathers, in contrast, risked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to give birth to a nation whose glory was liberty and whose march was the march of the mind.

After hearing Donald Trump speak scornfully (and dishonestly ) about late-term abortions during the final presidential debate , one woman has come forward with her own story about how she made the difficult and heartbreaking decision to end her pregnancy. Alyson Draper, a corporate attorney from Midway, Utah, took to Facebook to make sure people knew that late-term abortion bears no resemblance to what Trump described on Wednesday night, when the candidate claimed doctors rip “the baby out of the womb in the ninth month, on the final day.” When she heard Trump speak those words, Draper heard a man exploit and misrepresent one of the most painful moments of her life. “I was so outraged and so hurt for all the women who had gone through this, and their husbands and partners,” Draper, a Mormon, told The Huffington Post.

WASHINGTON ― Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is standing by his endorsement of Donald Trump for president, even after a bombshell video surfaced last week of the GOP nominee bragging about sexually assaulting women .

–Diego Rivera, Flower Seller 1942 Autumn is the season for remembrance, and nobody does remembrance like the Parisians. Crisp air, sunny skies, fewer tourists (at least most places) and easy public bike rentals: what could be a better moment to leap into the sentiments of moments past: the graphic intensity of mid-century Mexican painters and sculptors, the revisited brilliance of Oscar Wilde who died in Paris a victim of British sexual duplicity, and the always charming–if occasionally vapid–surrealist advertising images of semi-surrealist René Magritte

By Isla Binnie VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Mother Teresa of Calcutta, known as the “saint of the gutters” during her life, was declared a saint of the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Francis on Sunday, fast-tracked to canonization just 19 years after her death. Tens of thousands of pilgrims packed St

The U.S. took an early lead in the Olympic medal count, while China and Italy vied for the top spot in the establishment lane. Donald Trump gave a major “policy speech,” and we realized he reads off a teleprompter with the same cadence we use to order takeout from people who don’t speak English well.

(Reuters) – Former New Orleans Saints footballer Will Smith was killed and a woman was wounded in a shooting in New Orleans on Saturday, the Times-Picayune newspaper reported on its website. The newspaper, citing law enforcement sources and a Saints source “with direct knowledge of the incident”, said Smith , 34, was shot and killed after a minor traffic collision in the city’s Garden District

Since the holiday of love is fast approaching we thought it fitting to explore the historical roots of Valentine’s Day. Personally, I am a bit torn about how I feel about the holiday itself. Part of me (the Libra side) is in love with love so any day that celebrates “love” is a winner in my book

Kids getting footballs is still pretty great pic.twitter.com/949LSvUHEQ — The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) January 25, 2016 As has recently become a weekly tradition, the Carolina Panthers just made yet another young fan’s dream come true. Seemingly every Sunday, Cam Newton’s squad turns on-field success into off-field elation, as players run to the stands to give touchdown balls to Carolina loyalists

Next time you’re vacationing down at western Mexico’s beach resort at Los Cabos consider a visit to the nearby town of Todos Santos. Besides offering the charm of one of one of the 110 or so pueblos magicos (magic cities) around the country, the little village is fast becoming known as a haven for foreign artists, mostly North Americans, who’ve moved there with their easels, pottery wheels and looms in recent years. It’s also got a fascinating history, in part thanks to the Jesuit missionaries who began bringing Christianity to the lower Baja Peninsula in the early years of the 18th century

Pittsburgh Steelers assistant coach Mike Munchak has absolutely no chill. Towards the end of the first quarter of the Steelers’ Wild Card matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night, Munchak yanked a handful of Bengals safety Reggie Nelson’s dreadlocks. Nelson barrelled into the Steelers’ sidelines after pushing running back Jordan Todman out-of-bounds. Munchak may have felt like Nelson unnecessarily shoved his running back into the sideline — Todman was nearly out-out-bounds when Nelson hit him, and the extra push sent Todman crashing into the bench. Todman should have been the star of the play for his darting run, but one of his coaches overreacted to a bit of chippiness on Nelson’s part.

All Souls’ Day is a holy day where Christians pray for the souls of all those who have died. All Souls’ Day marks the end of a period of remembrance for the dead within the Christian calendar, beginning with All Saints Day on November 1. falls yearly on November — This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms

Moonrise, 1884 Stanislaw Maslowski A little over two years ago, I went to the closet where I kept a hidden stash of pills, carefully packed them among my things into a small weekend suitcase, made reservations at an inn I had stayed at with my mother when I was a teenager and left for the beach town of my childhood without telling anyone. I was headed towards the place where I had had my happiest years, those golden, magical summers when I was young.

Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the balcony at the US Capitol on September 24, 2015. By Jason Berry WASHINGTON — Before Congress on Thursday, Pope Francis praised Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker Movement “for her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed,” likening her faith to “the example of the saints.” Inspired by Day, Barbara Blaine in the mid-1980s moved into a Catholic Worker House on the South Side of Chicago where women fleeing domestic abuse found safe harbor with their kids.

Mormon missionaries have become so much of a cultural joke that there is a Broadway musical about them. Everyone knows what Mormon missionaries look like: classic dark suits with white shirts and ties, and that iconic name badge with “Elder Last Name” or “Sister Last Name” and the full name of the Mormon church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Mormon missionaries are always trying to get you to take a copy of The Book of Mormon and to tell you about their crazy cult, right?

Malian Manuscripts from Timbuktu “For centuries, Timbuktu provided rest alongside the Niger River for travelers journeying across the African Continent. From the 12th through the 16th Centuries, Mali became an intellectual haven for Islamic scholars

Ten years ago, Hurricane Katrina rumbled ashore, wreaking havoc across Louisiana, Mississippi, and the entire Gulf Coast. Here are some of the best articles and books written about the storm in the decade that followed it, as selected by The Huffington Post’s staff.

“Ring out the bells again Like we did when spring began Wake me up when September ends” -Billy Joe Armstrong (Green Day) With the tsunami of media leading into the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on Saturday, it seems impossible that an author could come up with a new, insightful and passionate history of the 10 years after the hurricane that is not a rehash of something that has been already said. Gary Rivlin made the impossible happen. His book Katrina: After the Flood will be the historic book of record for anyone studying that time period or those who want to learn the politics of rationing resources when a region is starting all over again

Pope Francis will make his first visit to the United States in September, with stops in Washington, New York and Philadelphia. His trip will add to the 50-year history of pope visits to the U.S. Pope Paul VI made the first papal visit to the U.S.

A man accused of killing a Shreveport police officer was arrested Thursday after a round-the-clock manhunt, police said. Grover Cannon, 27, was in a backyard detached garage not far from the house where Officer Thomas LaValley was killed Wednesday when officers acting on a tip arrested him shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday, Shreveport police spokesman Cpl

Americans really love animals. There is nothing that will make the heart of an American overflow with feelings of love like the sight of a puppy or a kitten. Animals have the power to transform people who are heartless towards other human beings into tolerant saints, and to change otherwise selfish, flighty people who can barely sustain a relationship for longer than a month into affectionate, generous caregivers.

Ken Stabler, who led the Oakland Raiders to a Super Bowl victory and was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1974, has died as a result of complications from colon cancer. He was 69. His family announced his death on Stabler’s Facebook page on Thursday.

(Adds detail on not guilty plea) By Jonathan Kaminsky NEW ORLEANS, April 6 (Reuters) – Former NFL star Darren Sharper entered a not guilty plea on Monday in New Orleans to federal charges that he drugged women with the intent to rape them, having already pleaded guilty to related charges in three states. Sharper, 39, last month pleaded guilty or no contest to rape or attempted rape in Arizona, California and Nevada as part of a series of plea bargains prosecutors have said will land him at least nine years in federal prison

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The co-founder of a Mormon women’s group who was excommunicated last year has lost her final appeal to regain membership in the Utah-based church. Kate Kelly of Ordain Women said she learned Saturday that the highest authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had rejected her appeal.

Paris may be exotic to many, but two visitors touring with their music in 1989 had opposite takes: for Osceola Mays, (Lillias White) untrained singer from Dallas formed by gospel at church and a history of slavery, Paris was a place that did not discriminate for her color. She never wanted to leave

By Peg McEntee SALT LAKE CITY, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Utah’s Brigham Young University, the Mormon Church’s flagship education institution, has for the first time issued guidelines on when students may grow beards without violating its rule that men must be clean-shaven. Under the private school’s honor code, which forbids premarital sex, tattoos and drinking alcohol, and requires that men and women dress modestly, only certain students will be permitted to grow facial hair. Exceptions will include medical conditions, theatrical production requests from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints media and drama departments, as well as religious observance and practice, according to the new standards published on Wednesday by the university in Provo, 50 miles (80 km) south of Salt Lake City.

John Dehlin is a Mormon who has doubts about his faith. But his public search for answers may banish him from the church that is his spiritual home. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made moves to excommunicate Dehlin, The New York Times reported on Thursday.

The news that Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted for killing unarmed black teenager Michael Brown has penetrated deep into American society , eliciting a range of strong emotions from anger to compassion. Benjamin Watson , a tight end for New Orleans, captured the impact of the Brown case, and what it means for the state of race and justice in America .